Essential
by tpcb000
Summary: Amy disappeared from her friends and has been gone for over 7 years without any word of from her. Shadow has been living his life as half a man until a mystery assailant has taken it upon himself to infiltrate his missions. Shadow is also approached by an unfamiliar woman who has word about Amy. What is a man to do with his life with all these new faces? Strong Language & Violence


It's been 10 years since the battle with Mephiles and the group wasn't the same. They were all older and living different lives then the ones in their teen years. Well, some are and some aren't.

Tails, for example. The now 21-year-old isn't Sonic's sidekick on missions anymore. Tails became the head engineer and designer for G.U.N.'s Aerospace and Air Force sectors. Puberty has done Tails well and the small kid is now a grown, young man. Tails is still friends with Sonic and mostly everybody, but his work has him coming and going at all times of the day. He was, however, able to land Cream the Rabbit as his girlfriend which made his long days much more bearable.

Cream ditched the small girl act after her Cheese passed away. Don't get me wrong, Cream is still sweet as sugar, but she no longer calls everybody mister and missus anymore. Cream owns a bakery in Station Square and is living with Tails in an apartment in the city. Cream is now 18 and has grown to be a lovely young lady.

Knuckles is still doing his business of guarding the Master Emerald, but five years ago he was named the chief of his tribe. Knuckles, seeing this as an opportunity to improve the island, began construction of modern buildings. Angel Island wasn't an urban city, but it was no longer a tribal village. Knuckles had created a small town on Angel Island and also a resort located on the opposite end of the island. Tourism has increased on the island and with the extra money Knuckles was able to maintain a safe environment for his tribe and the shrine. The members of the tribe were thankful for the now 26-year-old's work.

Rouge is a little (a lot) different from when you last saw her. Rouge was now 24 and even curvier. After nearly three years of flirting and bickering, Rouge and Knuckles began dating and were married within the year. Rouge now lived with Knuckles on Angel Island and helped manage the resort on the island. Rouge is the head manager of the resort and helps Knuckles with the financial aspect of the tribe. After a few years of married life, Knuckles and Rouge had their first child. A son named Brice. Rouge was currently pregnant with twins and was expecting to give birth in three months. The two still argue and bicker, but they are happily in love.

After two years of living life in his time, Silver returned to the present with Blaze. Silver felt like he could do more good here than in the future (which technically was alright since Mephiles never happened) and joined G.U.N. Silver was able to quickly climb up the ranks and filled in for Rouge when she left as Shadow's new partner for missions. Silver and Shadow made a good team and were now considered the top agents working at G.U.N. Silver is now 23 and is living in Station Square in his own apartment.

Blaze returned to present along with Silver, but decided to take a separate route than Silver. Blaze enrolled in nursing school and now works as a nurse in the pediatric wing of Station Square General Hospital. Blaze and Silver have recently began dating and were taking their relationship slowly. They've been friends for years and were scared of the risk they were taking, but they were grateful for each other regardless. Blaze is 22 and also living in her own place in Station Square.

Sonic was doing his usual business. Saving the world and travelling around the world. Shadow and Silver would accompany him sometimes since they were assigned the same mission that Sonic would be pursuing. Sonic would bounce through Station Square every now and then to visit Tails, Cream, Silver, Blaze, and sometimes Shadow when Shadow decided he could tolerate Sonic's presence. Sonic would also stop by Angel Island to see Knuckles, Rouge, and Brice—since Sonic was named the Godfather. Sonic was definitely one of the people in the group that hasn't changed much, only now he's 23.

Another person who hasn't changed much? Shadow. Shadow was still working at G.U.N. and was still the top agent. Shadow's personality was the same, but he became less serious. Silver likes to take credit for that, but so does Rouge. Shadow is still a brooding guy and a loner at times, but he does make sarcastic remarks that have people laughing. After some years Shadow noticed some differences in his appearance. Of course he went to Tails and Tails discovered that he lost his immortality and was now aging. Tails came up with multiple theories, but Shadow didn't care. He was still the Ultimate Life Form with all his abilities still intact. So Shadow was now 24 (technically 74) and living life day-by-day.

Lastly, Amy Rose. After three years of wondering aimlessly and trying to make Sonic hers, Amy left. She hasn't spoken to anyone in years. No one knows where she is and what happened to her. Amy just lost touched with everyone and everyone misses her in his or her own way, even Shadow. They all hoped she was ok and happy, but still wish she would at least call one of them. Amy would be 22 right now and is hopefully healthy and well.

Shadow was sitting in his and Silver's office at G.U.N. fidgeting with the rings around his wrist. A tan cat walked in with a file in her hand and dressed professionally. Silver looked up excitedly as Shadow merely cast a glance at the cat.

"New mission, boys." The cat said handing Silver the file before turning on her heel to leave.

"Thanks Ginger." Silver said as he opened the file. Shadow sat up and looked over at Silver as he read the mission brief. "Sonic is going to be on this." Silver said as Shadow stood up.

"What are we doing?" Shadow asked.

"Infiltrating a thieving group. This group has apparently made three big steals in the past year. We have reason to believe that they're building a nuclear weapon or at least stealing the equipment to do so." Silver said as Shadow zipped his black jacket up.

"Risk level?" Shadow asked.

"High." Silver said zipping his black jacket up.

"Let's go." Shadow said. The mission took place in a remote forest in Japan and Shadow and Silver Chaos Controlled over there. It was dark since it was night for Japan. Shadow and Silver began to skulk around the location before they heard a figure drop down on the ground. They whipped around to see Sonic there.

"Took you guys long enough." Sonic whispered.

"You knew we were coming?" Silver asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious." Sonic said as Shadow rolled his eyes.

"We don't have time for this." Shadow said as the three of them traveled through more bushes before spotting the secret headquarters of the thieves. "Cover the corners." Shadow said as Silver and Sonic took off in opposite directions. Sonic saw an opening between two guards and began to approach the base. Silver saw him approaching the base and then spotted two guards on the roof coming towards him. Silver cursed and tried to get Sonic's attention.

"Hey!" The guard yelled as Sonic froze. Silver cursed and started to step out of the bushes to go help Sonic. Suddenly Silver saw a guard fly through the air before landing on the ground next to Sonic unconscious. Another guard soon followed as Silver looked at Sonic in confusion. Sonic shrugged his shoulders before being knocked to the ground. Silver ran over to him before he was flung onto the ground. Silver turned to see that he was pinned to the ground by small daggers. Two more daggers were thrown pinning the sleeves of his shirt to the ground. Silver began to use his powers to lift the daggers when he was hit with a sleeping dart. Silver then passed out. Sonic looked up to see his attacker dressed in all black and wearing a mask over the bottom half of his face and his head wrapped with more black fabric.

"What do you think you're doing? You could have been killed and ruined this whole operation!" The attacker said a muffled voice.

"Who the hell are you?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Freeze!" A guard yelled suddenly as he began to run over to the attacker and Sonic. The attacker suddenly did a graceful flip before flying through the air and landing on the guard's shoulders. The attacker cracked the guard's neck and flipped off the guard to land gracefully on his feet while watching the guard fall.

"Ok, seriously, who the fuck are you?" Sonic asked staring at the attacker who was approaching him.

"Don't recognize me?" The attacker asked.

"Dude, I have no idea who the hell you are." Sonic said as he started to get off the ground. Sonic stood up to see he was much taller than the attacker and looked down at him confused. This attacker was even shorter than Tails and he managed to take Sonic, Silver, and three guards down!

"Sonic!" Shadow's voice was heard the attacker's eyes widened. The attacker took off into the trees and Sonic watched him leave in confusion. "What the hell happened?" Shadow asked seeing Silver passed out.

"Dude! It was insane! This guy came out of nowhere and took down three guards and Silver! He just ran off now!" Sonic said motioning in the direction that the attacker left.

"Whatever, I got the information while you guys were messing around. Let's just go." Shadow said as he Chaos Controlled the three of them back to G.U.N. headquarters. After turning in the information to the investigators, Shadow returned to see a still unconscious Silver and a confused Sonic.

"Was this attacker working for the group?" Shadow asked.

"No! That's the thing! He took down three guards and took us down! He didn't hurt us though. I'm pretty sure he did some serious damage to those guards. I actually think he killed them." Sonic said as he thought about the previous events.

"Well, he helped you out. I guess that's a positive." Shadow said sitting at his desk.

"I…I think he knew me." Sonic said slowly. Shadow raised his eyebrow as Sonic shook his head. "He asked if I recognized him and I didn't. He was a lot shorter than me and the shortest guy I know is Tails. Maybe someone from my past? I don't know." Sonic said shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. We'll probably never see that guy again." Shadow said as Sonic nodded.

"God…what happened?" Silver groaned as he lifted his head from his desk. Shadow shook his head while Sonic began to explain. Shadow left G.U.N. headquarters and walked the snow-covered streets of Station Square. Shadow walked through the city because there were certain parts he liked seeing. Parts that reminded him of _her_. Shadow walked passed the park seeing the barren trees that would fill with cherry blossoms in the spring. She loved the cheery blossoms. He passed by her favorite bookstore and it had one of her favorites displayed in the window. He passed the mall and saw her favorite store from the outside. He even cherishes the memories of her dragging him there countless times. Of course no one knew. Shadow eventually made it to the outskirts of the city before speeding to his cabin in Mystic Ruins. He walked in and shook off the snow from his jacket and removed the scarf around his neck. The scarf that she made him. Shadow missed her. More than he would like to admit. But it was there. The longing feeling from inside his chest and the memories flashing through his mind and sometimes in his dreams. He missed her.

Two weeks passed with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Shadow and Silver went on missions. Sonic wasn't on any of the missions since he was now investigating who that person was exactly who had attacked him. Rouge and Knuckles were planning to come down to the surface to visit this weekend. They wanted to visit one last time before Rouge was not allowed to fly anymore. Shadow was walking down the streets of Station Square during his lunch break since he and Silver didn't have a mission today. Shadow entered the park and leaned against a tree. It was snowing lightly and people were walking hurriedly through the park. Some children were playing while parents watched and the trees were covered in snow.

"Excuse me," Shadow turned to see a white fox. The fox was a woman with long wavy hair and bright lavender eyes. She didn't look like a threat. "Are you Shadow the Hedgehog?" The fox asked.

"Yes." Shadow answered simply.

"Good! I'm Violet Thomason, but please call me Vy." The fox said as Shadow raised his eyebrow. "Anyways…I bet you're wondering just why I'm talking to you, well I have a good reason. Well, that's depending how you view good, but I think you'll like it." Vy said as Shadow just stared at her. "You remember Amy Rose, right?" Vy asked. Shadow's interest was piqued and he turned his body to face Vy fully.

"Yes, how do you know her?" Shadow asked narrowing his eyes at Vy.

"Oh, I work with her. Well, we're like best friends, but that's not the point. The point is—"Vy was interrupted when her named was called.

"Aunt Vy! What are you doing over there?" A seven-year-old hedgehog jogged over. The hedgehog was black with dark gray streaks through his quills. His quills were shorter than the average hedgehog and stuck out randomly leaving him to look a little chaotic. His eyes were a dark auburn color and Shadow assumed that this hedgehog was some sort of hybrid and was Vy's nephew.

"Dusk go back to playing with your friends." Vy said as the hedgehog—Dusk—shrugged his shoulders before jogging back to a group of boys. "Do you like him?" Vy asked looking back at Shadow.

"What?" Shadow asked in confusion.

"Do you like Dusk?" Vy asked again.

"I don't really know him…" Shadow said awkwardly. Shadow didn't care about this kid; he wanted to know about Amy.

"He's a good kid." Vy said.

"My lunch break is over. I have to go back to work." Shadow said as Vy stared up at him. "Here is my number. Call me about Rose." Shadow said before walking away. Shadow walked back to G.U.N. still thinking about the encounter he just had. Silver was sitting at his desk when Shadow walked in.

"What's up? You were gone for a while." Silver said as Shadow shook his head.

"I met some people." Shadow simply said.

"What people?" Silver asked.

"People." Shadow said. Silver didn't question him anymore as Shadow logged onto the G.U.N. database. He typed in Vy's full name to try and get information about her. He had done it previously with Amy, but the information was outdated. A picture of Vy, probably from her ID, popped up and Shadow began reading about her. It said she lived in the city and worked as a social worker. He stared at the screen in confusion. Surely if Amy was here he would have seen her. Vy mentioned that they worked together, but Shadow would have known if she was working as a social worker. So many questions were popping up in Shadow's mind and he couldn't make any connections between this women and her nephew to Amy. Ginger walked in before handing Silver a file. Shadow sighed and changed into his mission clothes (all black attire).

"Back to the thieving group. Apparently they're making an exchange with a rogue group of scientists." Silver said as he changed.

"Sonic going to be there?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah, he's hoping that he see that guy again." Silver said staring down at his phone no doubt reading a message from Sonic. Shadow and Silver Chaos Controlled back to Japan, but this time they were at shipping docks. Again it was night and they jumped onto a large boat to spy on the exchange. Sonic soon joined them trying to lookout for his attacker.

"You're truly obsessed." Silver whispered to Sonic.

"I think I know him and I just want to find out who it is." Sonic said before jumping off the boat and onto some giant crates. Shadow and Sonic watch him disappear between some larger crates. Sonic was slowly walking between some of the crates as he kept his eyes peeled.

"What are you doing here?" A guard asked as Sonic cursed. He really needed to stop getting caught. Sonic whipped around and roundhouse kicked the guard. The guard fell to the ground before swinging his leg and taking out Sonic's legs. Sonic landed on his back, but quickly kicked the guard in the stomach. Sonic popped back onto his feet and got into a fighting stance. The guard got on his feet before charging Sonic. Suddenly the guard froze as Sonic's eyes widened to see a kunai sticking out of his chest. The guard was pulled back and landed on the ground. The kunai was retracted back by a rope and Sonic looked up to see the attacker that he was so desperately was searching for.

"You! Tell me who you are!" Sonic yelled before the attacker launched himself and tackled Sonic to the ground. Sonic was about to yell, but the attacker cover his mouth with his hand.

"Do you like getting caught? What's the matter with you?" The attacker whispered harshly.

"I was trying to find you!" Sonic muttered against his hand. The attacker rolled his eyes before getting off of Sonic and walking away. "Wait! Tell me who you are!" Sonic said as the attacker took off into the night. "Damn it." Sonic cursed before an idea popped into his mind. Sonic smirked and knew Shadow and Silver would kill him for doing this, but he had to know. Shadow and Silver were watching when the group of thieves appeared with a suitcase in their hand. Shadow and Silver were ordered not to take them down and only to observe who they were doing business with. Shadow and Silver waited patiently to see who the recipients were when they saw Sonic approach the thieves.

"Sonic the Hedgehog?" One of the thieves said.

"Expecting someone different?" Sonic taunted as Silver and Shadow smacked their foreheads.

"He's signing off on his death wish." Silver muttered. Silver stood up to help him when Shadow stopped him. "Do you really want Sonic to die that much?" Silver asked.

"No, look." Shadow said pointing the roof of one of the storage buildings. Silver looked to see the attacker from earlier there. Silver and Shadow watched as Sonic continued to beat up the group of thieves. Sonic was knocked onto the ground and was about to be shot when the attacker swooped in and knocked the guard holding the gun off his feet.

"C'mon, maybe we can find the group of scientists before they take off." Silver said as he and Shadow left the scene. Sonic and the attacker managed to take down all the guards and thieves, but the one holding the suitcase managed to escape. Sonic looked down at all the guards before being pushed up against one of the crates.

"You idiot! You messed up the whole operation!" The attacker muffled against his mask.

"It will only continue if don't tell me who are you." Sonic said seriously. The attacker glared at Sonic before letting go of his shirt. The attacker pulled down his mask and head wrappings and Sonic's mouth dropped to the floor. "AMY?!" Sonic exclaimed before Amy covered his mouth.

"Sshh! Yes, it's me. Now will you stop messing up my missions?" Amy said as Sonic continued to stare at her in shock.

"I-I…what? Just what?" Sonic said completely confused.

"I'm working for a special organization. That's all you need to know." Amy said as she wrapped her quills back up.

"I-I, but you look like…but…what?!" Sonic stuttered.

"Yes, I'm dressed to hide my body so people won't go easy on me. I can handle them. I clearly kicked yours and Silver's asses. Plus, I'm publically known. I can't have reports out there that Amy Rose is kicking ass." Amy said with a smirk.

"Oh my…why didn't you tell us?" Sonic asked.

"I'm a special agent, Sonic. I'm supposed to remain a secret. I can't have people knowing what I'm doing." Amy said.

"Why…How…just how?" Sonic asked still not comprehending what was happening.

"I needed to provide for myself and another. This was the best way." Amy said as Sonic just stared at her.

"Sonic!" Shadow's voice was heard. Amy's eyes widened as she covered herself with her mask again.

"You do not tell anyone, Sonic. You got that? No one should know. If I find out you told someone, I will personally find you and kick your ass. That's a promise." Amy threatened before running away in the darkness.

"What the hell were you thinking? You just messed up everything!" Silver said as he and Shadow approached the blue hedgehog.

"U-Um, I wasn't thinking." Sonic said still trying to process what just happened.

"No more of your stupid antics. You are not allowed on your own anymore." Shadow ordered as Sonic nodded. Sonic knew he made a mistake that cost the mission, but finding out that Amy was some kind of secret agent-ninja-thing was worth it. He was the only one that knew what Amy was doing with her life now, albeit it was only a few things he actually knew. It was something though. The month of January came to an end and Shadow still had no peace of mind. Vy hasn't called him at all and Sonic was been actively avoiding him since the mission. He didn't know what was going on. Silver was not in work today since he was going on a day-trip with Blaze. Shadow didn't have a mission so he was office-bound for the day.

"Why hello there, Shadow. Long time no see." Rouge said as she waddled into Shadow's office.

"I thought you're not supposed to be flying." Shadow muttered.

"I have one more week till I'm banned. I thought I would stop by my old stomping grounds." Rouge said. "How's life been, Shadow?" Rouge asked sitting at Silver's desk.

"Confusing." Shadow said as Rouge looked at him confused.

"How so?" Rouge asked. Shadow sighed heavily and ran his hand through his quills.

"This girl came up to me a couple of weeks ago with her nephew and claimed she knows Amy and her nephew was the key to getting to see Amy. However, she hasn't called me since meeting her." Shadow said as Rouge nodded.

"Well, that's weird…" Rouge said as Shadow narrowed his eyes at her.

"Do you know something?" Shadow asked. Rouge put her hands up innocently and shook her head. Shadow sighed again and leaned back in his desk chair.

"You still miss her, huh?" Rouge asked softly.

"Every day, Rouge. Every day." Shadow said staring up at the ceiling.

"She didn't leave because of you, Shadow. It was her own choice." Rouge said as Shadow sighed.

"She didn't even say goodbye." Shadow said. Rouge—and technically Knuckles—was the only person who knew that Shadow and Amy dated for a brief period before she left. Shadow has been guilt-ridden the last few years ever since Amy left. He believes he was the reason for her leaving.

"Things will get better, Shadow. I know it." Rouge said. Amy was sitting on her couch with her arms crossed angrily across her chest. The door to her house opened to reveal Vy and Amy glared at her.

"Jeez, what's with that bitch face?" Vy asked as Amy stood up.

"Why is Shadow's number in your phone?" Amy asked holding up Vy's forgotten cell phone.

"Why isn't Shadow's number in your phone?" Vy retorted.

"Violet Noreen Thomason! You tell me why you have my ex-boyfriend's number in your phone this instant!" Amy said as Vy rolled her eyes.

"Don't use your 'mom' tone on me. You said you wanted to see Shadow again so I'm doing something about it." Vy said simply.

"Vy! How many times do I have to tell you to stop meddling in my business?" Amy exclaimed as Vy crossed her arms.

"He has to right to know what happened with you, Amy! You should have seen his face when I mentioned your name. He looked so eager which is saying a lot because the dude looks like he's about to commit suicide. I mean c'mon! You told Sonic!" Vy said as Amy rolled her eyes.

"That's because Sonic was being a dumbass and ruined my mission!" Amy exclaimed as Vy sighed.

"Whatever! Shadow deserves an explanation and I'm not going to sit around and hear you complain about him when you're not doing anything about it!" Vy said as Amy collapsed on the couch with a loud groan. "I don't know how the bravest chick I know is so afraid of one guy." Vy muttered as she walked into the kitchen.

"He's not just a guy!" Amy yelled.

"Again, if you're not going to do anything about it, I am. He even met Dusk." Vy said before sipping on a water bottle. Amy shot off the couch and whipped around to look at Vy with anger in her eyes.

"YOU INTRODUCED HIM TO DUSK?!" Amy screamed as Vy nodded. "What the fuck were you thinking?!" Amy yelled as Vy shrugged her shoulders.

"He deserves to know, Amy." Vy sang before walking into her room. Amy sighed heavily before dropping onto the couch again. Amy looked on the clock on her wall and saw it was time to go. Amy got up and grabbed her jacket before walking out of her house. Amy walked down a couple of blocks in her tiny suburb located outside of Station Square. Amy soon walked up to an elementary school and watched as all the kids played on the playground or got picked up by their parents.

"Mom!" Amy turned her head to see Dusk running towards her. Amy smiled brightly as she opened her arms up.

"Hey sweetheart!" Amy said as Dusk hugged his mother. "How was school?" Amy asked ruffling his quills.

"Mom stop! You're messing up my do!" Dusk said as Amy just laughed. "It was awesome, Mom! We learned about volcanoes and Mrs. Elric said we're going to make our own volcanoes! It's going to be awesome!" Dusk said as he and Amy walked away from the school.

"That does sound awesome. You're not going to blow up the classroom, right?" Amy asked as Dusk rolled his eyes.

"I can handle my powers, Mom!" Dusk said as Amy raised her eyebrow. "Watch!" Dusk said before speeding down the sidewalk at super speed. "See! I'm good!" Dusk yelled from down the street before returning to Amy.

"It's not that power I'm worried about." Amy said as Dusk sighed.

"It was one time! Ricky was being a jerk to Emma!" Dusk said.

"Regardless of the fact that you were protecting your girlfriend, no Chaos Powers during school." Amy said sternly. Dusk scrunched up his nose in disgust as he stared up at Amy.

"Ew! Emma isn't my girlfriend!" Dusk said as Amy laughed and poked his nose.

"Sure she isn't." Amy said as Dusk rolled his eyes. Vy was sitting in her office a week later with her cell phone in her hands. Vy pressed on Shadow's name before bringing the phone to her ear.

" _Hello?"_ Shadow answered.

"Hey Shadow, long time no hear." Vy said.

" _Vy, is it?"_ Shadow asked.

"Yup and I have a proposition for you." Vy said.

" _What?"_ Shadow asked sounding very unamused.

"Sound a little more excited, why don't ya?" Vy asked and she could practically hear Shadow roll his eyes. "Anyways, Amy is working all of tomorrow and tomorrow is Saturday so little Dusk and I will be bored. I can entertain myself with something like a spa day, but I doubt Dusk will enjoy that. So what I'm asking you is spend the day with Dusk and you can see Amy by the end of the day." Vy explained and was greeted with silence. "Hello…?" Vy asked wondering if he had hung up.

" _You want me to babysit for you?"_ Shadow asked.

"No! I'm very capable of taking care of Dusk, but I want you two to spend sometime together." Vy said.

" _Why?"_ Shadow asked.

"Like I've said before, Dusk is the key to Amy." Vy said.

" _Alright, what does the kid like to do?"_ Shadow agreed. Vy smiled brightly before she started talking about Dusk. Amy of course didn't know anything about this and Vy wasn't going to tell her till later. Vy was standing in the living room the next day and telling Dusk about the plan.

"Now remember, no telling Mom, alright?" Vy said looking at Dusk.

"Does Mom not like Shadow or something?" Dusk asked.

"On the contrary, she loves him, but you know your mom, she's a stubborn ass." Vy said as Dusk held out his hand. "You make way too much money off of this." Vy said handing him a dollar. There was a rule in the house that if Dusk caught Amy or Vy cursing he would receive a dollar from them. He nearly has 200 dollars. There was a knock on the door and Vy sent him one more warning look before walking to the door. "Hello Shadow." Vy said smiling at the dark hedgehog.

"Hey," Shadow said as Dusk walked up to the door.

"You two have fun now." Vy said as Dusk walked out of the house. "Bye Dusk!" Vy said waving at the seven-year-old. Vy closed the door and Dusk turned to look up at Shadow.

"So, are we going to stand here all day?" Dusk asked as Shadow shook his head.

"C'mon kid." Shadow said as he walked down the pathway to Amy's house. "We're going to do some fun stuff today." Shadow said.

"By fun, what do you mean exactly?" Dusk asked.

"Guy stuff. Vy tells me you're around girls a lot so I'm going to take you to do some guy stuff." Shadow said. Dusk shrugged his shoulders before stopping in his steps to see Shadow's motorcycle.

"Are you going to let me drive that?" Dusk asked excitedly.

"Ride. Not drive." Shadow said as Dusk smiled brightly. Shadow sat Dusk in front of him before revving his engine. Dusk had a helmet on and so did Shadow before they took off down the street. Shadow drove through the suburbs before driving up to Mystic Ruins. Shadow stopped by a building and Dusk looked at him confused.

"What's here?" Dusk asked taking his helmet off.

"Paintball." Shadow simply said before dust hit his face and he looked to see a trail of dust that followed Dusk into the building. Super speed? This kid sure is something. Shadow walked into the building to see Dusk practically jumping off the walls with excitement. "Settle down, kid." Shadow said.

"Welcome to Paintball Palace. What kind of game are we doing today?" The female worker asked as she smiled at Shadow and Dusk.

"What do you feel like? Target practice or Free-For-All?" Shadow asked.

"Free-For-All!" Dusk exclaimed.

"Aw, your son is so cute!" The worker exclaimed as Shadow and Dusk looked at her confused. They looked at each other before narrowing their eyes. Dusk shrugged his shoulders and Shadow shook his head. Shadow paid for the game and they received the equipment. Other players were in the range and Shadow had strange sense to protect Dusk. However, Dusk already took off into the field before Shadow could even say anything. Shadow took to the trees to take down his targets. He took down three before spotting Dusk hiding in an empty oil drum. Shadow sped down the tree and across the field and grabbed Dusk before throwing himself and Dusk into the bushes.

"We have to work as a team. There's seven more players. You take down the three teenagers and I'll take on the four adults." Shadow said mapping out the plan.

"They're all taller than me though." Dusk said looking at Shadow worriedly.

"You can do it. I have faith in you, kid. Height has nothing to do with stealth. Watch me." Shadow said as he peeked his head out from the bush. Shadow spotted a wolf walking slowly across the field and smirked. Shadow snuck out of the bush to behind a broken-down car. Shadow kneeled by the hood of the car and propped his gun up on the hood. Shadow aimed and pulled the trigger hitting the wolf in the back. The wolf growled before storming off the field. Suddenly Shadow saw three teenagers storm off the field cursing loudly. Shadow turned to see Dusk squatting next to him and panting.

"Did you really just run and shoot them down?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah, might as well use my speed." Dusk said.

"Good boy." Shadow said with a smirk. Shadow and Dusk continued to play for the hour before turning their equipment in.

"That was awesome! Can we do it again?" Dusk asked as Shadow chuckled.

"If your mom let's you hang out with me again." Shadow said as Dusk smiled. Shadow and Dusk drove back into the city and ate at a burger joint before Shadow took Dusk to see an action movie (rated PG). Shadow was actually starting to like this kid. He was smart, funny, creative, and cunny. Shadow has never met a kid that he genuinely liked. Don't get him wrong, he likes Rouge's kid, but Dusk. Dusk was a cool kid. The day soon ended and Shadow drove back to Dusk's house and Dusk pouted.

"I want to do more guy stuff." Dusk pouted.

"Like I said, if your mom let's me hang out with you again than we can." Shadow said taking Dusk's helmet off.

"Aunt Vy says my mom loves you." Dusk said as Shadow looked at him confused.

"I don't even know your mom." Shadow said.

"Aunt Vy says you do." Dusk said as he hopped off Shadow's motorcycle. Shadow stared at Dusk in confusion and watched him walk up to the door. His mom loves him? Dusk did look familiar…and Vy said he was the key to Amy. No way. No fucking way. Dusk opened the door and Amy was standing there looking relieved. Amy still looked beautiful and Amy kissed the top of Dusk's head. NO WAY!

"Never let Aunt Vy give you away, alright?" Amy said as Dusk rolled his eyes. Shadow watched the exchange and noticed his similar mannerisms. _NO FUCKING WAY!_

"But Mom! Shadow is cool!" Dusk whined as Amy's eyes widened. Amy looked up to see Shadow standing there. Shadow's current expression was one of shock with his jaw dropped and his eyes wide.

"Dusk go inside and watch some TV." Amy said pushing her son inside. NO! NO! NO! NO WAY! Dusk was his son? Dusk was _his_ son!? Dusk scurried into the house and Amy closed the door behind her and walked towards Shadow.

"Shadow?" Amy asked.

"I-I-I-I—"This was the only time Shadow has ever stuttered.

"Shadow, can we talk somewhere else?" Amy asked as Shadow nodded numbly. Amy walked over to Shadow's motorcycle and straddled it. Shadow stared at her as she put on the extra helmet. "Stop gawking and let's go." Amy said as Shadow got on in front of her. Shadow revved the engine before taking off down the neighborhood. Amy wrapped her arms around Shadow and a sense of déjà vu came over her. Amy shook her head and focused on giving Shadow directions. They stopped at the neighborhood park and walked over to sit on a hill under a tree. "So…" Amy said awkwardly.

"All these years…" Shadow murmured.

"Shadow, let me explain—"Shadow quickly cut off Amy.

"Explain what? That you hid my son from me for seven years?!" Shadow exclaimed as Amy looked down. "What possible excuse could you have?" Shadow asked now enraged.

"I was 16, Shadow! I was scared and I didn't think you would want to help!" Amy exclaimed.

"I thought you'd knew me better than that!" Shadow said as Amy sighed. "I want in on Dusk's life now." Shadow said.

"No way. I've been raising him on my own and will continue to raise him on my own." Amy said standing up.

"That's not fair, Amy. You didn't even give me a chance to know the kid." Shadow said as Amy rolled her eyes.

"Please Shadow, don't tell me you would actually care about him." Amy said crossing her arms.

"It's really pissing me off that you have so little faith in me." Shadow said as he glared at Amy. Shadow thought that when he found Amy that he would be happy, but now he's just angry at how stubborn and selfish she was being.

"Shadow, Dusk is seven. He's been fine without a dad and I'm enough of a parent for him. Introducing you to him now as his father would only complicate things." Amy said as Shadow rolled his eyes. "Stop doing that."

"Why? Because it reminds you of Dusk? He's my son and you can't keep him away from me." Shadow said as Amy glared at him. "I don't even understand why you're being so difficult. _You're_ the one who took off, not me. _You're_ the one that decided that you could do this on your own. Why am I being persecuted?" Shadow asked.

"I don't need you in my life!"

"I'm not asking you to let me in your life! I'm asking to be a part of Dusk's life!"

"Shadow, my life is already difficult enough. I don't need you there to complicate my kid's thoughts."

"You're a bitch, Rose. A real bitch." Shadow said as Amy looked at him extremely insulted.

"How dare you call me that!" Amy yelled pushing Shadow.

"That's what you're being! You've been keeping my son away from me and now you won't even let me be his father!"

"You really think you can raise a kid, Shadow?" Amy said putting her hands on her hips.

"I won't know until you let me." Shadow said as Amy scoffed. "I'm not afraid to get a lawyer and sue your ass, Rose." Shadow said as Amy's eyes widened.

"Fine! You want your son? You explain to him that you're his father."

"Can't really do that without you there. You have to explain why you didn't let me know about him." Shadow said. "I mean, I can, but I wouldn't make you look good." Shadow said narrowing his eyes at Amy. Amy turned on her heel and began walking down the hill as Shadow followed her. "I don't understand!" Shadow yelled stopping Amy in her tracks.

"Understand what?" Amy asked turning around to face him. Shadow's hard glare had softened to a confused and sad stare.

"Why Amy? Why do you suddenly hate me? What did I do? Just tell me what I did wrong." Shadow said as Amy frowned. Amy had been trying to keep her tears in during the whole argument.

"Because," Amy said as her voice became shaky. "You made me feel weak." Amy said as Shadow stared at her in confusion.

"What? I don't understand…" Shadow murmured.

"Forget it, Shadow. It's stupid." Amy said shaking his head.

"Amy—"Shadow said before he leaned back when he saw Amy's foot fly up to his face. "What the hell?" Shadow said before blocking one of Amy's punches. Amy swung her leg around again and Shadow blocked it. Shadow continued to block Amy's blows as he watched her in confusion. "When did you learn how to fight?" Shadow asked when Amy grabbed his shoulders and flipped over him. Shadow turned around only to be punched in the face by Amy.

"Go back to your precious G.U.N. Shadow. You can see Dusk when I decide you can." Amy said before running away. Shadow stood there confused, hurt, and even more confused. The weekend went by and Shadow sat in his office. Silver was gone again and Shadow decided he needed a second opinion on the situation. Shadow called Sonic and Sonic was there within an hour.

"Wow, I came here expecting a small job crisis." Sonic said after Shadow retold the events of the weekend.

"I don't even know what to think. Amy is being vague and won't tell me anything." Shadow said shaking his head.

"Alright, I'm going to tell you this and Amy will probably kill me, but I feel like you should know." Sonic said as he leaned forward. "Amy is the attacker that has been attacking me on the missions. She's working for some secret organization." Sonic said as Shadow sat back in his chair.

"This week is becoming too much for me to handle." Shadow said shaking his head.

"I feel you," Sonic said nodding. "Finding out you have son, the love of your life comes back, she doesn't let you see your new son, and you find out that she's a secret agent. Tough week." Sonic said recounting the events.

"Do you know what agency?" Shadow asked.

"Nah, she didn't say." Sonic said as Shadow frowned.

"I need to figure out where she works." Shadow said as Sonic smirked. Shadow looked over to him and raised his eyebrow. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Shadow asked.

"If you're thinking about following Amy then yes." Sonic said as Shadow grabbed his jacket.

"Don't mess this mission up now." Shadow said as Sonic rolled his eyes. Sonic and Shadow were perched in a tree nearby Amy's house waiting for her to leave the house. Amy soon walked out the door and began to walk down the sidewalk. Shadow and Sonic dropped down from the tree and took to crossing backyards making sure to remain hidden and unheard. Amy is a secret agent now. Even the lightest exhale can blow their cover. Shadow noticed Amy stop and he grabbed Sonic before climbing up a tree. They watched as Dusk came running out of school and hugging his mom. Shadow's heart clenched in his chest as he watched them; he wanted to be a part of that.

"Damn, that kid really does look like yours and Amy's kid." Sonic murmured.

"Seeing how he is, I would expect as much." Shadow muttered while rolling his eyes. Suddenly Sonic was pulled down from the tree and Shadow soon followed. Shadow rubbed his head and looked to see Amy glaring down at him.

"Hi Shadow!" Dusk exclaimed waving happily. "Who's the weird blue guy?"

"Weird blue guy?! Ames! How dare you not tell your son about me?" Sonic said throwing a hand over his chest dramatically. Shadow glared at him before Sonic smiled sheepishly. "Oh yeah…sorry about that."

"What are you two doing following me?" Amy asked narrowing her eyes towards Shadow.

"I wanted to see the little guy! Shadow wasn't too positive that you would let me see him so…here we are." Sonic lied.

"Mom, can I hang out with Shadow again? He's super cool! It's Friday too! C'mon!" Dusk begged.

"Hold on, Dusk. I have to talk to him for a second." Amy said before grabbing Shadow's arm and dragging him away. "Are you an idiot? What are you really here for? Sonic's lying and I know it!"

"Tell me who you're working for." Shadow demanded.

"That's none of your damn business."

"I deserve to know!"

"You don't deserve shit! I'm giving you your son! That should be enough!" Amy whispered harshly poking her finger at Shadow's chest

"I will find out the reason behind this sudden resentment of me."

"How is my job going to help you with that?" Amy asked. "Oh, I know now. You think I'm working for some weird agency that has it out for G.U.N. I'm not. My employers have nothing against G.U.N. and neither do I. You could be a baker in Cream's bakery and I'd still hate you." Amy spat. Amy turned on her heel and began walking back towards Dusk and Sonic.

"You don't hate me." Amy stopped at the sound of Shadow's voice and turned around.

"What?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him.

"You don't hate me, Rose. I know you don't." Shadow said stuffing his hands into his jacket.

"You don't know anything."

"I know what I know and I know that you don't hate me." Shadow said as he walked over to her. "You're just acting this way as a defense mechanism. You're afraid of what we had and could have again."

"Shadow—"

"I know, Amy." Shadow simply said before walking over to Dusk and lifting him up onto his shoulders.

"Bye Mom! I love you!" Dusk yelled as he waved at Amy.

"So…going to tell me something I should know?" Sonic asked once Shadow and Dusk walked away.

"I'm sorry, Sonic." Amy said. "I'm sorry to you and all the others. I shouldn't have cut you guys out of my life like that. It was unfair."

"Finally! Now we can be friends again!" Sonic said making Amy laugh. Dusk and Shadow were sitting in an ice cream parlor. Dusk was downing his chocolate fudge sundae while Shadow just had some coffee. They went to an arcade earlier and Shadow let Dusk play all the games he wanted and even played some with him.

"Dusk, I need to tell you something that's kind of important and might be a shock." Shadow said as Dusk looked up at him.

"What?"

"I'm your father." Shadow said slowly gaging Dusk's reaction. Dusk just stared at him before shrugging his shoulders and continuing to shovel ice cream in his mouth. "That's it? You're not shocked?"

"I kind of saw it coming. You do look like me and Mom seems really touchy about you hanging out with me. I don't know why because I like you. You're a cool dad, Dad." Dusk said smiling up at him as Shadow smiled.

"You're smarter than you look, kid." Shadow said. Dusk smiled happily at his dad making Shadow smile back. Shadow walked up to Amy's front porch a couple of hours later with Dusk sleeping against his back. He pushed the doorbell with his elbow and Amy quickly opened the door.

"I taught him how to control his chaos powers. He kind of got wiped out." Shadow said passing Dusk to Amy.

"You didn't teach him anything that can burn the house down, right?" Amy asked.

"Relax Rose, have some more faith in the kid. He's a lot smarter than you give him credit for." Shadow said as Amy smiled softly at her son. "I told him that I was his father."

"What…what did he say?" Amy asked.

"He already knew. He had figured it out earlier. He likes me." Shadow said smiling while staring at his sleeping son.

"Hey Romeo!" Vy yelled from behind Amy. Shadow and Amy both glared at her making Vy crack up. "You guys are definitely meant for each other."

"Ignore her." Amy said.

"Already am." Shadow said making Amy laugh softly. "Night Rose." Shadow said before walking away. Weeks turned into months and Amy and Shadow fell into a routine of taking care of Dusk. Shadow loved getting to know his son and Dusk loved having a man in his life. Amy was happy to see her son happy, but that still didn't make her any happier to see Shadow. One fateful night, Shadow, Silver, and Sonic were on a mission to intercept a drug trade and Amy was also assigned for the mission. Amy and Silver both took down the guards separately as Shadow and Sonic took to entering the warehouse.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you." A crimson hedgehog said surrounded by dozens of guards. The hedgehog had black markings around his eyes, body, and quills and a sinister smirk on his face. "Oh, and Agent Rose of Enigma is here too." The hedgehog said once Silver and Amy entered. Amy's eyes widened behind her mask making the hedgehog cackle evilly. "Of course I know all the people trying to take me down. Why wouldn't I?" The hedgehog mused.

"Who are you?" Silver asked.

"Well, I assume it's only appropriate to know the name of your killer. Cole, nice to meet you." The hedgehog said before snapping his fingers. Suddenly the guards fazed away and Cole stood up from his chair. The four got into a fighting stance making Cole yawn. Suddenly Sonic and Silver went flying into the walls as a brown fox with blue hair and gold eyes walked out.

"Hey babe," The fox said winking at Cole as she held Silver and Sonic against the wall with her telekinetic powers.

"Stacy, my girlfriend," Cole said introducing her as Amy and Shadow stood side-by-side prepared to fight. "Now, where were we." Cole said before two massive blades protruded from his forearms. Shadow launched a Chaos Spear in his direction, but Cole jumped into the air and flipped before landing gracefully in front of Shadow and Amy. Amy swung her leg as she aimed for Cole's head, but Cole grabbed her foot before throwing her across the room.

"Amy!" Shadow yelled before blocking an attack from Cole. Amy growled as she got up and charged Cole. Cole lifted Shadow over him before throwing him at Amy. Amy and Shadow slid against the floor as Cole cackled evilly. Shadow got up and glared at Cole before seeing Amy charged him. Amy whipped out some shuriken and throwing them towards Cole. Cole dodged all of them, but missed one that sliced his bicep.

"Oo, lucky shot. But your luck has run out." Cole said charging Amy with his blades out. Amy back flipped narrowly missing one of his slashes. Amy pulled out an eskrima stick and blocked Cole's blades again. She pulled out her other eskrima stick and began to attack him. Cole and Amy continued to spar before Amy swung one her sticks, delivering a hard blow to Cole's ribs. Cole hissed in pain before glaring at Amy with his cold, black eyes. "You'll regret that." Cole sneered before knocking Amy's sticks out of her hands and kicking her down. "I'm ending this." Cole said cocking his arm back. Shadow tackled Cole down to the ground, but not before he cut Amy across her stomach. It wasn't a deep cut, but it would definitely scar.

"I'm getting real tired of you two." Cole growled kicking Shadow off of him. Shadow landed on his feet and gathered chaos energy around his hands. He launched several spears towards Cole as Cole ran to him avoiding them. Cole swung one of his blades across Shadow's chest. Shadow hissed in pain and held his chest in pain before glaring at Cole. Cole punched him across the face busting his lip open, but Shadow returned with a kick in his face that caved Cole's nose in. Cole growled loudly before stabbing his blade into Shadow's bicep.

"Fuck!" Shadow cursed before pulling on the blade in his arm. Shadow ripped the blade out of his arm before kicking Cole in the chest and ripping the blade out of Cole's arm. Cole howled in pain as he looked at his now bare arm.

" _You little shit_!" Cole growled before charging towards Shadow. Amy suddenly appeared and kicked Cole down. Amy grabbed the dagger in her boot and stabbed Cole in the chest. Cole screamed out in pain again before collapsing to ground struggling to breath.

"You bitch!" Stacy screamed as she charged Amy, but Stacy flew into the air (thanks to Silver) and hit her head against the ceiling. Silver brought her back down and laid her next to Cole.

"I'm done here." Amy said before stomping away.

"Rose wait!" Shadow called out but hissed and held his arm.

"C'mon, we need to get you bandaged up." Sonic said and Shadow frowned as he watched Amy run away. Shadow stood outside of Amy's house a couple nights later. His arm and chest were bandaged up and he hasn't heard from Amy since that day. He knocked on the door and Amy answered the door holding a sleeping Dusk.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Walk with me, Rose." Shadow said.

"But Dusk—"Amy said before Vy swept in and took him from her arms. Shadow raised his eyebrow and Amy sighed. She followed him down the sidewalk before they walked into a nearby park.

"What did you mean by I made you feel weak?" Shadow asked.

"Maybe it wasn't you necessarily, but once I found out I was pregnant I felt so weak. I had a sudden epiphany. Every moment up until then, I was the weak girl. I always got captured and needed saving. I was tired of being saved. What kind of mother would I be if I always needed to be saved? So, I ran, and joined Enigma. They trained me after I had Dusk and that's when I met Vy. She took care of him when I was in training. Then I started going on missions. I basically took on every mission you guys did, but I took on smaller ones too. Ya know, stopping mobs and drug lords before they got too big that G.U.N. had to intervene. Now, I'm here. Still doing what I'm doing." Amy explained.

"That still doesn't explain the unbridled rage."

"I don't need you, Shadow."

"I never said you needed me."

"But that's what you're implying."

"Um, I don't think I have ever implied that."

"Yeah you did."

"How so?"

"You want me to run back into your arms and be the weak girl again. The girl that needs saving. I don't need saving! I didn't need you to save me back there and I don't need you to save me now!" Amy exclaimed staring back at Shadow with watery eyes. "I don't need you in my life, Shadow. I managed for more than seven years. I can manage for the rest." Amy said, her voice thick with emotion. "I don't need you."

"But I need you." Shadow said.

"W-What?" Amy stuttered.

"I don't really know what you mean by me saving you that night because I believed you saved me. I know you don't need me, Amy. You have made that clear from the beginning. Yes, I want you back in my life because I love you." Shadow said as Amy stared up at him with tears. "I love you, Amy. _I_ need _you_ in my life. You bring so much light into my otherwise dark world. You give me a purpose. These past years without you have been so hard. I knew what it was like to have you in my life and I never wanted you to leave it. Even these past months, when we didn't talk to each other and practically fought every time we did, I cherished those moments because you were there. I thought I'd never see you again and I was so happy to see you again even if you were screaming completely irrational things at me. I need you because you make me a better man. I need you and Dusk. You are my family. I need my family." Shadow said staring at Amy.

"Y-You need me?"

"Yes, I need you. I will always need you." Amy's body shook with the emotions that were coursing through her. All these years she had built herself up to be independent and not have to rely on anyone. She didn't want to be that silly Amy Rose who got captured by Robotnik anymore. She made a name for herself in this world as someone not to mess with. She can't even remember the last time she had been beaten. She was her own woman. But now, Shadow was here, not to restore her back into that role of damsel in distress, but instead proclaiming how much he needed her. How he loved her and her son— _their_ son. He didn't want to change anything about her. He simply wanted to love her.

"I need you too." Amy said breaking down in tears before throwing herself into Shadow's arms. Shadow quickly caught her and pulled her close to his body. He cradled the back of her head in one hand and kissed her with all the emotion he could muster in his body. Amy kissed him back with equal passion as tears streamed down her face. They pulled away from each other, but stayed wrapped up in each other arms and panting.

"I'm not letting you go. Never again." He breathed and Amy smiled and ran her hand down his chest.

"I'll never leave."

 _ **10 Years Later**_

"God, I never thought this day would happen!" Sonic exclaimed as he straightened up his tie and looked at Shadow who was slipping on his cufflinks. Shadow rolled his eyes, but he had a soft smile on his face—it had never wavered since he woke up this morning. "I mean, c'mon even Vy and I are married." Sonic said throwing his arm over Shadow's shoulders.

"You guys got married as soon as you guys saw each other." Shadow muttered. It was true. Sonic and Vy shortly met after Amy and Shadow reconciled and in the span of six months the two were married to everyone's shock. Vy had quit her job at Enigma when she discovered she was pregnant with their first child, a son named Noah. They had another son named Mason and while Sonic was now settled down in Station Square he still travelled to fight on missions alongside Silver and Shadow—who had unofficially became a team of three.

"Whatever. You know this was a long time coming!" Sonic grinned patting Shadow on his back.

"Daddy?" Shadow turned around to look at his youngest at six-years-old, his son Shade. Shade was a black hedgehog with indigo streaks through his quills and bright purple eyes. His quills were in the same fashion as Sonic's and he was the shyest among his siblings. "Do I have to wear this? It's itches." He whined.

"It's only for a little bit, Shade. Once we're done with the wedding than you can take it off and wear whatever you want." Shadow knelt down to his son's level and Shade simply pouted. "Wearing this will make Mommy very happy and don't you want to make Mommy happy?" Shadow asked and Shade nodded.

"C'mon champ! How about we find Amber?" Silver asked as he picked up Shade. Amber was Silver and Blaze's youngest daughter and the same age as Shade. Along with Amber they had another daughter named Topaz and a son named Austin, who was the oldest. Shadow thanked him quietly and Silver merely smiled before leaving the room with Shadow's fussy son. Shadow and Sonic quickly finished getting ready and stepped out of the room and into the lobby of the hotel where the wedding was taking place.

"Dad!" Shadow turned around to see his one and only daughter, Serenity running towards him in a maroon dress. Serenity was nine years old with lavender fur and quills and Amy's brilliant green eyes. "Mom is so beautiful! She's going to knock your socks off!" Serenity smiled as Shadow laughed.

"I'm sure she is. Aren't you supposed to be with her and the rest of the bridesmaids?" Shadow asked as Serenity's eyes widened before running back. Sonic shook his head and Shadow just chuckled.

"She's like her mother, I swear." Sonic said and Shadow just smiled before he and Sonic entered the room where the ceremony was taking place. "Can't believe this is happening still. It seems like this day wouldn't come." Sonic said shaking his head.

"Yeah, it really did." Shadow murmured. Dusk, now 17, was all dressed up in a black on black tuxedo with a crimson tie and a rose pinned to his lapel. While he was practically fully-grown now, his quills were still in a messy disarray the same way it had been when he was seven. Music filled his ears and he looked down at his watch and frowned. She was supposed to be here. He watched as Rouge, Cream, Vy, and his younger sister filed into the room all smiling his way. He heard a rustling behind him and quickly turned around.

"Mom," Dusk smiled as he looked down at Amy who was dressed beautifully in a white strapless gown that flowed down gracefully around her figure. She smiled happily at her son and extended her hand out. "You look beautiful." Dusk said and Amy laughed softly.

"Thank you, baby. Let's hope your dad thinks the same." Amy said as she wrapped her arm around his.

"Please," He scoffed. "He was the one begging you to marry him for ten years. You were the one being stubborn." He told her.

"I wasn't ready!" She said and Dusk rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, because after three kids and over ten years it's time to maybe consider sending a Christmas card out together. Put the brakes on this whole relationship because you guys were practically blurring past my eyes with how fast you were going." Dusk taunted sarcastically and Amy elbowed his ribs.

"We're here, aren't we?" Amy smirked. Dusk laughed as the music changed and the door opened to reveal everyone standing.

"I'm really happy for you guys." Dusk whispered and Amy squeezed his bicep and smiled up at him. They walked down the aisle and Amy smiled politely at the people she passed by. But suddenly all the air from her lungs released when her eyes landed on Shadow. Shadow smiled at her and she smiled back at him even brighter. The entire ceremony passed by in a blur and the only thing Shadow and Amy could focus on was each other. It had been a long journey for them to get to this place, but it was worth it especially seeing how happy they were and being surrounded by their family and friends.

"You may now kiss the bride." The minister said and Shadow quickly cupped Amy's face in has hands and kissed her passionately while everyone cheered for them. They pulled apart and Shadow kissed her forehead.

"I love you." He murmured.

"I love you too." She said smiling up at him.


End file.
